Immunizations

STATE REQUIREMENTS

• A student shall show acceptable evidence of vaccination prior to entry, attendance, or transfer to a child-care facility or public or private elementary or secondary school in Texas. The State of Texas requires that every child in the state be immunized against preventable diseases caused by infectious agents, per the immunization schedule.
• To determine the specific number of doses for your child, please visit the following DSHS website.
• Proof of immunization may be shown through personal records from a licensed physician or public health clinic with a signature or rubber-stamp validation.

EXEMPTIONS

• Texas law allows (a) physicians to write medical exemption statements that the vaccine(s) required would be medically harmful or injurious to the health and well-being of the child or household member, and (b) parents/guardians to choose an exemption from immunization requirements for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief. The law does not allow parents/guardians to elect an exemption simply because of inconvenience (for example, a record is lost or incomplete and it is too much trouble to go to a physician or clinic to correct the problem). Schools and child-care facilities should maintain an up-to date list of students with exemptions, so they may be excluded in times of emergency or epidemic declared by the commissioner of public health.

  • Medical Exemption

    • If a student should not be immunized for medical reasons, the student must present a statement signed by the child’s physician (M.D. or D.O.), duly registered and licensed to practice medicine in the United States who has examined the child, in which it is stated that, in the physician’s opinion, the vaccine required is medically contraindicated or poses a significant risk to the health and well-being of the child or any member of the child’s household. Unless it is written in the statement that a lifelong condition exists, the exemption statement is valid for only one year from the date signed by the physician.

  • Conscience Exemption

    • To claim an exclusion for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief, a signed DSHS affidavit must be presented by the student’s parent, stating that the student’s parent declines vaccinations for reasons of conscience, including because of the person’s religious beliefs. The affidavit will be valid for a two-year period.

    • Information for obtaining the official exemption affidavit that must be signed by parents/guardians choosing the exemption for reasons of conscience, including a religious belief, can be found at DSHS immunization exemptions. The official DSHS exemption affidavit form must be notarized and submitted to the school or child-care facility within 90 days from the date it is notarized.

    • The school will accept only official DSHS affidavit forms developed and issued by DSHS; no other forms or reproductions will be allowed. Any student, who has not received the required immunizations for reasons of conscience, including religious beliefs, may be excluded from school in times of emergency or epidemic declared by the commissioner of public health.

    • If a parent seeks an exemption for more than one student, a separate form must be provided for each student.

  • Military Exemption

    • To claim exclusion for military service, the student must prove that he or she is serving on active duty with the armed forces of the United States.

PROVISIONAL ENROLLMENT

• All immunizations should be completed by the first date of attendance. The law requires that students be fully vaccinated against the specified diseases. A student may be enrolled provisionally if the student has an immunization record that indicates the student has received at least one dose of each specified age-appropriate vaccine required by this rule. To remain enrolled, the student must complete the required subsequent doses in each vaccine series on schedule and as rapidly as is medically feasible and provide acceptable evidence of vaccination to the school. A school nurse or school administrator shall review the immunization status of a provisionally enrolled student every 30 days to ensure continued compliance in completing the required doses of vaccination. If, at the end of the 30-day period, a student has not received a subsequent dose of vaccine, the student is not in compliance and the school shall exclude the student from school attendance until the required dose is administered. A student who is homeless, as defined by the McKinney Act (42 U.S.C. § 11302), shall be admitted temporarily for 30 days if acceptable evidence of vaccination is not available. The school shall promptly refer the student to appropriate public health programs to obtain the required vaccinations.

RECORDS REPORTING

• The school’s record of your student’s immunization history, while private in most instances, may be inspected by the Texas Education Agency, local health departments and the Texas Department of Health and transferred to other schools associated with the transfer of your student to those schools.